Ljubljana.The volleyball players from the Bulgarian national team showed character and class to defeat the strong Ukrainian squad with 3:1 (25:20, 18:25, 25:23, 25:17) in their last match of the tournament in Group 6 of the second week of the Volleyball Nations League at "Arena Stožice" in Ljubljana.
Less than 24 hours after the exhausting five-set battle against Canada, and after a total of three five-set matches during the week, Gianlorenzo Blengini's team found the strength to break the Ukrainians' winning streak and finish the tournament with three victories from four matches.
Ukraine arrived for the match in excellent form after 3:1 victories over Brazil and Canada, as well as a convincing 3:0 against world champions Italy, but this time the Bulgarian team was better in the most crucial moments.
With this victory, Bulgaria now has 5 wins and 3 losses and has at least temporarily climbed to 6th place in the provisional standings of the Nations League with 14 points.
Gianlorenzo Blengini made two important changes to the starting lineup, featuring Denislav Bardarov and Preslav Petkov for the first time in the tournament. Bulgaria started with Simeon Nikolov, Aleksandar Nikolov, Denislav Bardarov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Alex Grozdanov, Preslav Petkov, and libero Damyan Kolev. During the match, Martin Atanasov, Stoil Palev, Iliya Petkov, and Georgi Tatarov also came into play.
The Bulgarians started the first set confidently. After an even start, a series of strong serves, excellent blocking, and varied attacks allowed the "Lions" to pull ahead at 20:17. Aleksandar Nikolov and Denislav Bardarov led the team in attack, and Simeon Nikolov finished the set with two consecutive technical tips for the final 25:20.
In the second set, Ukraine significantly increased their serving effectiveness. Two consecutive aces from Oleh Plotnytskyi turned the score, and after the middle of the set, the Ukrainians controlled the game and equalized after 25:18.
The third set was the most dramatic of the match. Bulgaria gradually imposed its tempo, with Asparuh Asparuhov, Denislav Bardarov, and Aleksandar Nikolov scoring crucial points in attack. At 17:14, Simeon Nikolov recorded an impressive ace at 121 km/h, and in the end, the "Lions" kept their composure and won 25:23.
In the fourth set, fatigue was already felt by both teams, but it was then that the Bulgarians showed their most mature volleyball. After an even start, a series of excellent defenses, successful counter-attacks, and strong serving followed. Denislav Bardarov scored several decisive points, Aleksandar Nikolov continued to be unstoppable, and two consecutive aces from Bardarov ended the contest at 25:17.
The statistics clearly show Bulgaria's superiority in attack. The national team scored 56 points from attacks against 46 for Ukraine. Both teams finished with 8 successful blocks each and 7 aces each, while the Ukrainians gained only two more points from opponent errors (24:22). Bulgaria also recorded more digs in defense – 50 against 42.
The top scorer in the match was Aleksandar Nikolov with 26 points (24 from attack, 1 block, and 1 ace). Denislav Bardarov played his strongest match in the tournament and added 16 points (13 from attack, 1 block, and 2 aces). Asparuh Asparuhov scored 14 points, including 8 from attack, 3 blocks, and 3 aces.
From the Ukrainian team, Dmytro Yanchuk finished with 20 points, and captain Oleh Plotnytskyi scored 16.
The victory brought Bulgaria 6.65 points for the world ranking. The national team remains in 8th place in the world with 274.11 points, while Ukraine lost 6.65 points and dropped to 12th position with 245.50.

The five wins and 14 points leave Bulgaria in a good position in the battle for a place in the final tournament of the Volleyball Nations League. Although the ranking is temporary and there are still more matches from the round to come, the success against one of the direct competitors, Ukraine, could prove to be of decisive importance in the battle for the Top 8.